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Theresa May

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Theresa May
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Last reviewed: Aug 5, 2026 · How we verify facts

Biography

a politician, from United Kingdom.

Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidenhead from 1997 to 2024, and has been a member of the House of Lords since August 2024.

May was the second female British prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher, and the first woman to have held two of the Great Offices of State. May is a one-nation conservative. May grew up in Oxfordshire and attended St Hugh's College, Oxford. After graduating in 1977, she worked at the Bank of England and the Association for Payment Clearing Services. She also served as a councillor on Merton London Borough Council.

After two unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons, she was elected MP for Maidenhead at the 1997 general election. From 1999 to 2010, May held several roles in shadow cabinets and was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2003. Following the formation of the coalition government after the 2010 general election, May was appointed home secretary and minister for women and equalities, giving up the latter role in 2012.

Reappointed after the Conservatives won the 2015 general election, she became the longest-serving home secretary in more than 60 years. During her tenure as home secretary, she pursued reform of the Police Federation, implemented a harder line on drugs policy and further restricted immigration. She oversaw the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners, the deportation of Abu Qatada and the creation of the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency.

Although she supported the Remain campaign, May supported Brexit following the outcome of the 2016 referendum. She was elected and appointed prime minister unopposed, succeeding David Cameron. As prime minister, May began the process of withdrawing the UK from the EU, triggering Article 50 in March 2017. In April, she announced a snap general election, with the aim of strengthening her hand in Brexit negotiations and highlighting her "strong and stable" leadership.

This resulted in a hung parliament with the number of Conservative seats reduced to 317 from 330, despite the highest vote share since 1983 and the largest increase in electoral support enjoyed by a governing party since 1832. The loss of an overall majority prompted her to enter a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Following the 2017 election, May's premiership continued to be dominated by Brexit, in particular by her government's negotiations with the EU, adhering to the Chequers plan, which led to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement. Other events that occurred during May's premiership included terrorist attacks in Westminster, the Manchester Arena and London Bridge, and the Grenfell Tower fire and Windrush scandal. Her governmen

Political Career

Positions Held

member of the House of Lords

Government

2024Present

Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Government

2003Present

member of the 58th Parliament of the United Kingdom

Government

20192024

member of the 57th Parliament of the United Kingdom

Government

20172019

First Lord of the Treasury

Government

20162019

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Government

20162019

Minister for the Civil Service

Government

20162019

Leader of the Conservative Party

Government

20162019

member of the 56th Parliament of the United Kingdom

Government

20152017

Minister for Women and Equalities

Government

20102010

Minister for Women and Equalities

Government

20102012

Minister for Women and Equalities

Government

20102010

Minister for Women and Equalities

Government

20102012

Home Secretary

Government

20102016

member of the 55th Parliament of the United Kingdom

Government

20102015

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Government

20092010

Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities

Government

20072010

Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

Government

20052009

Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Government

20052005

member of the 54th Parliament of the United Kingdom

Government

20052010

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Theresa May is a United Kingdom politician. They are known for their work in the entertainment industry.

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